So you want a bunny for Easter? Might want to opt for a chocolate version

Bunny sales are hopping as Easter nears, but folks who later want to surrender their pets will find fewer places to take them.

The South Florida Wildlife Center in Fort Lauderdale stopped accepting rabbits in December and recently relocated 21 of them to Pet Haven Rescue in Loxahatchee.

"We have to focus our resources on our core mission," said Sherry Schlueter, executive director of the Wildlife Center. "People need to know we cannot admit them to the facility any more.''

The Humane Society of Broward County takes pet rabbits -- but only if there's space.

"When people get a rabbit, they need to realize it requires a lot of time and attention," said Cherie Wachter, spokeswoman for the Humane Society. "A rabbit can live eight to 12 years. They need to think about whether they can make that kind of commitment to a pet. It's not just a novelty pet for the kids because it's Easter."

Susan Stocker / Sun Sentinel

Brittany Knoche and Vanessa Garcia take a look at Bennie, a rabbit up for adoption at the Humane Society of Broward. Better get details on care before taking one home, experts say.

Brittany Knoche and Vanessa Garcia take a look at Bennie, a rabbit up for adoption at the Humane Society of Broward. Better get details on care before taking one home, experts say.

(Susan Stocker / Sun Sentinel)

County-run animal shelters in Broward and Miami-Dade counties will not accept bunnies. Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control only takes in stray rabbits, not pet bunnies turned in by their owners.

That puts the burden on rabbit rescue groups that are already over capacity.

H.A.R.E. Rabbit Rescue in Miami and Luv-A-Bun in Lake Worth are not currently accepting rabbits. And South Florida Rabbit Rescue in Lake Worth stopped taking bunnies altogether in December.

Nationwide, bunnies are the third most surrendered pet behind cats and dogs, said Anne Martin, executive director of House Rabbit Society, a nationwide rabbit rescue group based in California.

"It's a similar commitment to adopting a dog or cat," she said. "There are always more people looking to surrender a rabbit than any group can take in."

Luv-A-Bun relies on foster homes around the state -- Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Miami, Melbourne and Tampa -- to care for the rabbits.

"We are not taking in new rabbits," said founder Megan Chaney, who is expecting the usual rush of calls a few weeks after the holiday.

"It's called the Easter dump," Chaney said. "People get them on a whim. And then there's nowhere to take them.''

Pet Haven is not a rabbit rescue, but took in the Wildlife Center's 21 bunnies to help out in an emergency, said founder Carole Chapuis.

"I didn't have any bunnies and now I do," said Chapuis, whose 5-acre cage-free sanctuary is home to dogs, cats, pigs, horses and, recently, a camel. "The bunnies have their own two-bedroom condo with their own porch where they can get sunlight. They're happy little bunnies. They're not in cages anymore."

Bunny owners who dump their rabbits in a park are sending them to a sure death, expert warn. They will either die of starvation or become prey for larger animals.

"We need people to adopt," said H.A.R.E. founder Dana Krempels, a biology professor at the University of Miami. "Every week we get so many calls from people asking us to take their bunnies. All times of year."

But it gets even worse after Easter, Krempels said.

"To kids, they look like toys," she said. "Kids handle them rough and they can break their necks and their backs. There's a lot of dead bunnies after Easter."